A Note for Parents

Our team of PJ Our Way professionals puts great thought into each month's selections. These books span a range of interests and reading levels, however, we cannot guarantee that every book is the right fit for every child. Each month, this blog will include updated parent information including summaries, discussion points, and content warnings for every title we offer.

PJ Our Way Parents Blog

Getting our little ones in front of a book is relatively easy. They’re desperate for our attention and the stories are short and readable. But as our children move into their tween years, their love of literacy can get buried under reading logs and timers set for fifteen minutes and endless reminders that no you can’t have any screen time until you finish.

Getting our little ones in front of a book is relatively easy. They’re desperate for our attention and the stories are short and readable. But as our children move into their tween years, their love of literacy can get buried under reading logs and timers set for fifteen minutes and endless reminders that no you can’t have any screen time until you finish.

Ugh. Who wants to read like that?

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way. I’ve got fifteen strategies that will get your tween psyched about reading again. You don’t have to do them all; pick the ones that work for you and your family.

Read books. Actual books.
I know I said you don’t have to do them all, but this one is non-negotiable. The hard truth is that we can’t give our children what we don’t have, so if you’re not a reader, it’s going to be hard to raise one. So, pick up a book you actually want to read (ideally a real book, not a screen), and dig in. (If you’re struggling to get back on the book horse, this list may be helpful to you, too!)

Talk to your children about what you’re reading now, or what you read at their age.
Our kids are endlessly (and sometimes annoyingly!) interested about us, so go ahead and indulge their curiosity. Unless you’re on a romance or true crime kick, in which case, you might want to, um, summarize.

Read to your kids.
The fun doesn’t have to end once they move on to chapter books. The trick here is to pick books that you enjoy too. If you’re not digging a particular book, but they want to read it, GREAT! They can finish it themselves. #winning

Let someone else read to your kids.
Audiobooks are awesome, and you can often check them out of the library for free. Ask your librarian to point you in the right direction.

Don’t censor their choices.
I’m not saying you should leave your Holocaust memoirs all over the house, but go ahead and set your children loose in the tween section of the library or bookstore and leave it at that. If you’re concerned about their selection, read it with them or talk to them about it, but don’t forbid it. (Unless you actually want them to read something, in which case that’s a brilliant move.)

Don’t judge their terrible taste in books.
Kids read dumb stuff; it’s just what they do. My daughters are into these ridiculous “This or That” books (where the reader has to choose between two terrible options) and Pokémon books (UGH). Who am I to judge? I devoured Archie and Veronica when I was young. Don’t stress, and don’t give them a hard time about it.

Read what they read so you can talk about it.
Unless you can’t stand what they’re reading, in which case, don’t. Or it’s too long, in which case, Google it. (If it’s a PJ Our Way selection, check out the summaries we’ve written up for each book.)

Resist the urge to nag.
Nobody likes to be nagged, especially about something that’s supposed to be fun. Treat books like glitter (ok, really heavy and less sparkly glitter): sprinkle them everywhere and then ZIP IT.

Make liberal use of your library.
Go often and let your kids pick out whatever they want. If you’re tempted to censor, judge, or nag, please go back and re-read this list again.

Get them hooked into a series.
There are SO many good series out there these days, they’ve even got their own NYTimes Bestseller List.

Bribe them with the movie.
Lots of great books are being made into movies, and movies are fun. Read the book, watch the film, discuss. Just don’t forget the popcorn.

Don’t forget about non-fiction.
My younger daughter is currently obsessed with spy books, including a super weird book about the Mossad. Think about what your kids are into, whether it’s fashion, basketball, baby sloths, or Minecraft. I guarantee you there’s a book for that.

Consider a Kindle or other dedicated eReader.
Some children just have an easier time reading off a screen, and you can check out digital books from most libraries. Just don’t hand them an all-purpose tablet; you don’t want to spend the whole time making sure they’re not sneaking screen time.

Get them into a book club.
Your local library may already host one; if not, start one for your children and their friends. Just remember, let them pick what they read and don’t stress if they don’t talk about the book for very long. No self-respecting book club actually does that.

Let them pick their own PJOW books!
If, for some reason, you’re choosing their books each month, well, stop. It only takes a couple of minutes and will dramatically increase the likelihood they’ll actually read it.

About Carla

Carla Naumburg, PhD, LICSW is a parent coach, writer, and speaker. She is the author of three parenting books, including the forthcoming How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t With Your Kids (Workman, 2019). Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, and Mindful Magazine, among other places. Carla is a consultant for PJ Our Way, and she lives outside of Boston with her husband, two daughters, and two totally insane cats.

Check out the four books available for selection from PJ Our Way this month.
Read More »

Take a peek at PJ Our Way’s choices for January! This month, meet a girl who can communicate with the dead, a tree who tells an enchanting story of friendship, a boy who takes his family on an exciting vacation, and a kid who’s torn between his love for baseball and his family’s Jewish traditions. These four very different stories are all distinctly charming, and each is certain to put a smile on any reader’s face.

When gentle Samar moves into the neighborhood, she befriends the tenants of Red, a northern red oak tree: an opossum family, a skunk family, and Red’s best friend, a crow named Bongo. But when someone carves a mean word on Red’s trunk, everything changes. Narrated by Red, otherwise known as Wishtree, this beautiful story of dreamers, friendship, and nature will charm readers young and old.

It’s the winter of 1965, and Norman Fishbein has decided to use his contest winnings to fly his family from their home in Toronto to Palm Beach. Over the course of the week’s vacation, Norman makes friends with a girl his age and finds a new way to connect with his older brothers as they work together to help an aging comedian keep his job at the luxury hotel where they are staying. This heartwarming story of a young boy who takes his family on the trip of a lifetime -- in more ways than one -- will introduce young readers to a different era in Jewish American history.

Being struck by lightning leaves seventh grader Lilah able to communicate with the dead. And life gets pretty interesting when she starts delivering messages from the great beyond. Will the deceased Mr. Finkel be able to help Lilah with her huge crush on his son, Andrew? Can Bubby Dora help Lilah’s lonely father find a new wife? This is a lighthearted coming-of-age book with a fun, supernatural twist.

Twelve-year-old Jason loves playing baseball. His stepfather, David, loves Jewish tradition. On Saturdays, the two clash as Jason is forced to miss his Little League games to observe Shabbat. Resentful, Jason continues to play on Shabbat without permission, inventing elaborate excuses to leave the house. His cover is blown when he is injured on the field, and he finally discovers what is truly important to his family.

What do you think of this month’s books? Comment below to let us know.

Check out the four books available for selection from PJ Our Way this month.
Read More »

Trying to help your child select a book? Check out this month’s selections. From realistic fiction to a Holocaust story made accessible for young readers through graphic novel adaptation to adventure set in Israel and science fiction set at Jewish summer camp, there is something for everyone.

Like a lot of fourth graders, Eli Zipperstein loves baseball and sometimes has trouble concentrating. Unlike a lot of fourth graders, Eli is obsessed with jelly and jelly beans. In fact, he loves them so much that his friends call him Jelly Eli Z. In the first of the three stories in this book, Jelly Eli tries to figure out why the principal keeps staring at him. In the second, Jelly Eli and his best friend, Benny, compete in the school’s pizza party challenge. In the last story, Eli has a moral dilemma at a baseball game. This is a sweet, fun book for younger kids.

This offbeat graphic novel (the sequel to Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword) is set in a fictitious Jewish shtetl (Yiddish for a small Eastern European town with a large Jewish population) called Hereville. The heroine, Mirka, is not your typical shtetl girl. She despises knitting and dreams of fighting and slaying monsters ... although she’s not very good at it. When a witch creates her identical alter ego, Metty, Mirka must embrace her own awkward identity in order to get rid of the impostor.

In 13th century France, Jeanne sees the future in her visions, Jacob heals the sick with plants and a Hebrew prayer, and biracial monk William has superhuman strength. The children are on the run from King Louis IX, accompanied by their dog Gwenforte, who has come back from the dead. A group of travelers meet at an inn and chronologically narrate the children's miraculous story from diverse points of view. Kids (and parents!) will love this action-packed, award-winning, and hugely entertaining tale. The vocabulary level here is on the high end, but medieval history has never been this relevant and exciting! The Inquisitor’s Tale was a New York Times Best Seller and won a 2017 Newbery Honor Award.

When 13-year-old Rose discovers that her brother Abe hasn’t gone off to be a cowboy as he’d said, but instead has become “a low-life bandit,” she is furious and writes to him demanding that he come home immediately. But while delivering the letter, Rose is kidnapped and brought to the camp of the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. While she is held captive, she looks after spoiled, lonely Dorotea, learns to ride a horse, and learns about the Mexican people’s struggle for freedom from oppression. Viva, Rose! was an Honor Book in the 2018 Sydney Taylor Book Awards.

What do you think of this month’s books? Comment below to let us know.